SoF Magazine No. 24, January 1996 History’s Inevitable Bias by Emma Clarke It is surely a fascinating truth that human intellect has grown beyond our emotional capacity. As a result, we have developed a natural defence mechanism that protects us from our own cerebral abilities. It is this protective wall that enables many Christians to separate their knowledge from their beliefs.
It is (I hope) an accepted fact that the study of church history has long been dictated by the personal agenda of its exponents. It is not enough to speak of ‘personal bias’ in writings of any significance; to sit down and to expound a theory, religious or otherwise, is a dangerous personal venture, and every sentence betrays the nature of its author. But it is not simply the private views of a historian that colour his work — human nature itself cannot allow us to write objectively. As far as our ability to chart history goes, we appear to be drowning in a Sea of Faith.
As far as church history goes, atheists are as prejudiced as the Pope When looking at the past, not only do we need to find our own place in history, we yearn to achieve a special empathy with historical figures; indeed, this natural urge attracts us to our particular field of study, and history would be a dull science without it. However, this same desire that causes us to open the door of history makes us paint our own picture of what we see behind it. ‘In all ages we look down the well of history and see our own reflection.’ Indeed, we can make history fit what we want and need to believe in. At best, we stamp our own personalities on the faces of the dead; at worst, we mould them into heroes. ' God in Us, by Anthony Freeman (London: SCM Press, 1993), p. 37. The metaphor was coined by the Catholic Modernist George Tyrell, criticizing the nineteenth century German liberal protestants in Christianity at the Cross Roads (1909). Richard Harries (The Real God, p. 38) wrongly attributes it to Albert Schweitzer.
The very existence of the Sea of Faith Network exemplifies the human need to find emotional common ground, both with our contemporaries and with people of a bygone age. Nobody wants to walk alone — nobody has to. SoF is a welcome and necessary part of a faith that has always developed in sympathy with the needs of its adherents. The church must surely learn that the ability of Christianity to adapt over time has been the secret of its endurance. — —— Perhaps | fear finding God as much as the Bishop fears losing Him It made a pleasant change recently to hear a Bishop wax lyrical about atheism.” According to Richard Harries, I am a fearless and highly cerebral human being, facing a sordid, terrifying and pointless world (with not so much as a rosary to jangle) and sticking to my well-considered moral opinions with resolute courage. It is true, I have found no place for me within the church, and that includes the Sea of Faith Network. But atheism is, in a sense, a faith in its own right.
Perhaps I fear finding God as much as the Bishop fears losing Him. Atheists, like Christians, find security within a group of like-minded people. As far as church history goes, atheists are as prejudiced as the Pope, reading everything from within the context of our own beliefs, and no doubt censoring what we read in order to protect them.
Man’s ability to assess history has improved beyond all recognition. We are questioning each other, for historians no longer treat old masters with breathless reverence, nor do they fight shy of tearing their colleagues to shreds. We are questioning our knowledge of the world through science, and through new skills we are shattering our false and limited views of history. But, despite all this, it is doubtful that man will ever find the strength fully to question himself. ? The Real God, by Richard Harries (London:
Mowbray, 1994), chapter 10.